A Model Romance
by Ashley K
Summary: (AU) Buffy Summers has 3 problems; her job is being threatened, her mother's getting remarried, and her future stepbrother. The problem with Angelus is that she can't decide if she wants to hit him or kiss him.
1. Chapter One

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter One:  
  
Buffy Summers was not a happy person. It was Friday afternoon. She should be in the middle of a photo shoot. Instead she was at home, pouting.  
  
It wasn't her fault that Parker Abrams turned out to be a first class asshole. How was Buffy supposed to know that the notorious photographer had a wife, two kids, and the token dog tucked away in the country? Especially when Parker told her that he was going to marry her…as soon as he could. Of course, when Buffy found out the interesting tidbit about Parker, she dumped the cheating bastard as soon as she could.  
  
Parker Abrams did not take to being rejected very well. He got his revenge in the form of a horrible publicity stunt. He 'attempted suicide.' In the middle of the afternoon. During a very important fashion show. Needless to say the rat survived…and accused Buffy Summers of leading him on, making him fall in love with her, and then breaking his heart. Apparently his wife understood.  
  
"Stupid doormat," Buffy spat out about Mrs. Abrams.  
  
As a result of all the bad publicity on Buffy, many of her modeling jobs were cancelled. She sold the 'good-girl-next-door' image and being called a home-wrecker…well that just didn't fit with the image. So, not only was Buffy unemployed, but she was essentially under house arrest…unless she was particularly up for the media circus that ambushed her.  
  
Her cell phone ringing was a much-appreciated distraction. "Hey Mom," Buffy greeted. "What's going on?"  
  
"Hi sweetie. I'm fine," Joyce Summers said. Buffy smiled at the warmth of her mother's voice. "What are you doing tonight?"  
  
'Planning on ways for Parker Abrams to actually die,' Buffy fiercely thought. "Probably just staying in…too much hassle to go out," Buffy ruefully answered.  
  
"Well, I was thinking about stopping over. I'll make dinner for us," said Joyce. Buffy laughed at her mother's obviousness. Joyce was constantly fussing over Buffy's weight and always made excuses to feed her only daughter. "Oh, hush. Expect me at 5:30. Love you."  
  
"Love you, too, Mom," Buffy said, before flipping the phone shut. Surveying her apartment, Buffy frowned. She was going to definitely have to straighten up the place before her mother came.

* * *

Buffy stared at her well-dressed mother with apprehension in her eyes. There was something her mother was not telling her. "Mom, stop," Buffy interrupted Joyce mid-sentence. "Whatever it is you have to tell me, tell me it already. I can see it's eating you up."  
  
"Well, you know how Rupert was laid up with that heart attack?" Buffy nodded, frowning at the mention of her mother's ex-husband, Rupert Giles. "Well, I figured it was only right for me to go visit him at the hospital."  
  
Closing her eyes, Buffy marveled at her good-natured mother. The man publicly humiliated her mother and, yet, Joyce still found it in her heart to visit the man in the hospital. "Please tell me you only saw Giles once," Buffy pleaded.  
  
When Joyce bit her lip and looked away Buffy fought the urge to swear. "Twice?"  
  
"I was a frequent visitor of Rupert's," Joyce admitted. "Between Angelus and I…"  
  
"Angelus?!" Buffy spat out, her hatred towards her former stepbrother tangible. "And what? The odious creep just let you visit? I'm surprised you still have all your fingers attached!"  
  
"Buffy Anne!" Joyce scolded her daughter. "Angel was nothing but kind and polite to me. In fact, he often took me out to lunch."  
  
"Mother!" Buffy exclaimed, shocked that her mother would fraternize with the enemy so openly.  
  
Angelus William Giles was the biggest thorn in Buffy's side. When their parents married, Buffy had been a young girl, newly turned fourteen, and Angelus was nineteen, used to getting his own way. From the start, Angelus was cold and uncaring towards his new stepmother and the children that she brought with her. Buffy's elder brother, Alexander, and Angelus often got into horrible fights. Buffy was treated like a possession, kept under complete lock and key whenever Angelus was home from the university.  
  
Angelus was born to Giles and his then-wife, Janna Kalderash. Giles was wealthy in his own right, owning a very exclusive publishing company, but Janna was the sole heir to the Kalderash mega-fortune. When the two divorced, Janna received sole custody of young Angelus Kalderash-Giles, however, with Janna's death three years later, Angelus because the most fought-over six year-old in Modern history. Luckily, Giles won the six-month long custody battle against Angelus' grandparents.  
  
Growing up, Angelus lacked for nothing. The best of everything was given to him. Buffy frown as she grudgingly accepted the fact that maybe, just maybe, the only reason why Angelus acted like such a bastard was because he was brought up knowing that he could have anything he wanted.  
  
"Buffy," Joyce said, jerking Buffy out of her thoughts. "Rupert proposed to me last night."  
  
Stunned, Buffy could only gape at her mother. "You didn't…accept, did you?" Buffy asked, once she found her voice again.  
  
"I-I thought it was for the best to first ask you and Xander," Joyce admitted. "I've already spoken with Xander and he thought that the news was great."  
  
Frowning, Buffy mentally cursed her older brother. "Of course Xander would like the news," Buffy dryly said. "Me, on the other hand…Mom, you guys already tried the whole marriage thing. And it did not go well. I am not a fan of this…but…if you feel that Giles can handle being married again. Well, you are a grown woman and I can't very well stop you."

* * *

"Alexander LaVelle Summers!" Buffy loudly announced her presence in her brother's home. "I cannot believe you! You hate the Giles family just as much as I do! Why would you encourage Mom like that?!"  
  
"Nice to see you too, Buff," Xander greeted his baby sister ruefully. "Anya, you remember Buffy?"  
  
Anya Jenkins, Xander's most recent girlfriend, smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. Except last time I met her she was less…loud."  
  
"Yeah, well shock and betrayal will do that for you," Buffy sniped back. Sighing, Buffy flopped down on the nearest surface. Aimlessly, she picked up the nearest magazine. Only to see her dreaded ex-stepbrother's famous half smiling face staring back up at her. "Oh, great. Who's the Scourge fucking now?"  
  
Flipping through the glossy magazine, Buffy barely realized that her own smiling face was in many of the advertisements. "'Angelus Giles, seen here with actress Rebecca Lowell at the Academy Awards…'" Buffy trailed off, mouth moving as she finished reading the article.  
  
"You know, Buff, for hating the guy so much, you are definitely obsessive about his life," Xander commented.  
  
"Only because I have a blinding hatred for him," Buffy carelessly tossed out.  
  
Looking skeptically at his younger sister, Xander smirked. "You two were okay with each other…until your seventeenth birthday. What happened there?"  
  
"Leave it, Xander," Buffy harshly bit out.

* * *

On her seventeenth birthday, Buffy and some of her girl friends snuck into a strip club, where they fed Buffy one alcoholic drink after another. By Buffy's curfew she was most definitely intoxicated. She had carefully snuck into her house, avoiding the creaky floorboards and thanking God that her mother decided to go to bed early than normal.  
  
Buffy had gone into the kitchen to grab a bottle, or three, of water, since she could already feel her hang-over fast approaching, when, suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed her and whirled her around. Already slightly queasy, the motion did not help matters. Angelus was standing there, eyes dark and glaring at her.  
  
"Angelus?" she had asked. "Why do you hate me?"  
  
Buffy was shocked at the effect her words had on him. Angelus immediately released her and the expression in his eyes changed from rage to sadness. "I don't hate you, Buffy," he whispered. Buffy looked at him, confused. Angelus never called her 'Buffy,' it was always the shortened 'Buff' that she absolutely hated.  
  
"But, why…?" her question was cut off as Angelus suddenly pressed his lips onto her's. At first, Buffy had fought him, but Angelus refused to let go and, as the kiss progressed, Buffy found herself struggling, not to free herself, but to get closer to him. One kiss led to another and another, until Buffy found herself naked on the couch in the living room, with no recollection of how that had happened, and with Angelus, equally naked, posed over her. "I-I haven't done it before."  
  
Moments passed between the two of them before Angelus harshly cursed and pushed himself away from Buffy, throwing a blanket towards her. "Get dressed," he said, pulling on his own clothes.  
  
Hurt, and a bit confused, Buffy did as she was told. "Angel?" she asked, softly. She was amazed at how fast Angelus could move. The second the name left her mouth; he was there, shaking her slightly.  
  
"Don't! This was a mistake! Understand?!" Angelus had severely whispered, shaking her with each word, as if to emphasize what he was saying. Between her confusion, her intoxicated state, and Angelus' shaking, Buffy frantically freed herself and rushed to the nearest sink, where she lost everything she had consumed that night.  
  
When she had recovered, Angelus was nowhere to be seen. The next morning, Buffy, complete with a monster hangover, searched for Angelus, only to be told, by Giles, that he had left for his own mansion and, most likely, would not be returning. Buffy's bitterness towards her stepbrother started to grow and by the time of her mother's divorce, a year later, she hated him more than anyone in the world.

* * *

Carelessly throwing the keys to her apartment on the counter, Buffy headed towards the bathroom, set on having a nice, relaxing soak in the tub before she called her agent. "Probably going to be released anyway," Buffy muttered. Her contract was up for renewal and, considering the fact that all her clients had dropped her, she was mostly likely not going to be renewed.  
  
"You have but yourself for that, lass."  
  
Whirling around, Buffy came face-to-face with Angelus. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?!" she demanded.  
  
"My father called me today," Angelus lazily answered, as if they were discussing the weather, "He was very upset. It would appear that Joyce was having second thoughts about their upcoming nuptials. Second thoughts that had only come into play when she visited with _you_. As for how I got in…well, I told your landlord that you were having personal issues and I was concerned for your well being. Since he has read the papers, your landlord was quite understanding and immediately let me in."  
  
"I can't help it if Mom finally remembers what Hell she went through with your father," Buffy sniped back. Damn her nosy landlord! The man was constantly trying to set her up with men. Knowing Mr. Johnson, he didn't believe what Angelus had to say; rather he saw Angelus and figured that this was just another chance to set her up.  
  
"Watch your tongue, Buff," Angelus carelessly said.  
  
Flipping her hair, Buffy turned her back on him and walked towards her room. "I'm taking a bath. I expect you to be gone when I get out," she called over her shoulder.  
  
"And I expect you to get back here," Angelus replied. "Unless you wish to hold this discussion in your bathroom?"  
  
Hesitating, Buffy paused, before haughtily walking into the bathroom. Surely he would not follow through with his little threat. Just to be on the safe side, Buffy locked the door with a smug smile. Turning on the water, Buffy adjusted the temperature and added her bubble bath. Waiting for it to fill up, Buffy slowly started to strip. Once the bathtub was full, she turned off the water and climbed into the tub, sighing with pleasure. Reaching over, she grabbed the remote control to her stereo and soon gentle strands of music floated in the air.  
  
Angelus must have left, she thought, happy that he listened to her.  
  
As soon as she had thought that, the lock on her door clicked, alerting her to its now unlocked condition. With growing apprehension, Buffy cowered deeper into the bubbles. The door burst open and Angelus glared down at her, fire shooting in his eyes. "Now, _Buffy_ I did warn you," he said, crouching next to the tub, brazenly dipping his fingers into the water. "You are going to listen to me," he dangerously said. "You are going to call up your mother and give her your blessing. You are going to stop acting like a spoiled brat and allow your mother happiness. Just because you're an unhappy, man-hating whore, does not mean that your mother has to suffer the same."  
  
At a loss for words, Buffy could only gape at Angelus' ridiculous demands and claims. "Understand?" Angelus asked, standing. She dumbly nodded. "Good," he said, wiping his fingers on her towel. He was halfway out of the room when he stopped, turned around, and gave her his famous half-smile, half-smirk. "Oh, and Buff? I'll be seeing you."  
  
Slightly shaken, Buffy watched as Angelus left. Lifting her hands to her face, she ignored how badly she was shaking. All thoughts about relaxing in the tub gone, Buffy climbed out of the tub and reached for the phone. "Mom?" she said, once her mother answered. "I just had a visitor. Your fiancée's son is quite the asshole, but…Mom, I just want you to be happy. If Giles makes you happy, then…I'm happy, too. Congratulations. Okay, I have to call Rona back. Yes, Mom, I love you, too. Bye."  
  
Sighing, Buffy hung up the phone. Padding into her kitchen, she poured herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves before talking to Rona, her agent. Angelus was, she admitted, basically right. She was being a brat and her mother did deserve to be happy. Just because Giles turned out to be scum last time didn't mean…Buffy snorted, catching where her thoughts were going. Giles had seemed like a nice guy last time around and Buffy loved him like a father, until, one day after school, she went out to eat with her best friend at the time, Cordelia.  
  
Cordelia had giggled when she saw Giles and told Buffy how her parents were talking about him the night before. "Apparently he's had a mistress for _years_," Cordelia confided. "And, even though he's been married for a couple years, my parents _still_ see him with her. Every other weekend, they're at the club, making out in 'secret' places. Can you imagine how stupid his new wife must be?"  
  
"She's my mother," Buffy had flatly replied.  
  
Shaking away bad memories, Buffy only hoped, for her mother's sake, that Giles had finally ended it with his mistress and was fully prepared to love only her mother. Dialing a set of numbers, Buffy waited to be connected to Rona. There once was a time when she was immediately put through to Rona, but not any longer. "Hello, Rona?"  
  
"Buffy," Rona's tersely greeted. "You have a job offer. Get packed and ready to go by midnight. They're flying you into Italy and the shoot's at some rinky-dink town on the coast."  
  
"Midnight?" Buffy repeated. "That…might be a…"  
  
"I swear to God, Buffy, if you say 'problem,' I will fire you right now. Do you know how little interest there is in you right now? In fact, they're not even paying half of what you were getting, flat out refused to."  
  
"Half?!" Buffy crowed. Rona's silence on the other end erased all complaints she had. "Well, who is it for?"  
  
"Tristan St. Paul," Rona answered. "He owns a couple vineyards and wants to, how did he put it, ah, yes, 'sex up his advertising.' Apparently now your name is synonymous with sex. Good job, Buffy," Rona sarcastically said.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and carefully wrote down the flight numbers. Hanging up with Rona, Buffy rushed into her room, haphazardly throwing things into her suitcases. Rona had said that this shoot would probably take about three or four days to complete. Hopefully three, but with her luck as it was, Buffy was going to count on four.   
  
"At least Italy's pretty now," she muttered, before leaving her best friend, Willow, a short message about how she would not be available to help Willow with the small wedding tasks that she had volunteered to do. "Damnit, I better be back by Saturday!"


	2. Chapter Two

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
The flight into Italy had been terrible. There had been a storm, causing a lot of turbulence. Buffy found that she was unable to sleep at all and was now looking forward to getting to her hotel and sleeping. "Thank you," she graciously said to her driver as he placed her bags in the lobby.  
  
"Ms Summers?" a heavily accented voice called out. Buffy turned and smiled at the middle-aged woman. "Follow me."  
  
Buffy went to grab her suitcases, only to be waved away by the woman. She watched, amused, as the older woman grabbed her suitcases and trudged up the stairs. Buffy looked around; she loved these types of bed and breakfasts.  
  
Before she knew it, Buffy was settled in her room and climbing into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.  
  
"Buona mattina, tempo di svegliare." She heard as the last vestiges of sleep left her. Damn, she thought. She hated it when she had a male assistant.  
  
"Buona whatever," Buffy grumpily replied, opening her eyes. She promptly shut them again. "Please tell me that I'm still asleep."  
  
"Buona mattina," Angelus' silky voice corrected. "And, no, you are not still asleep."  
  
Opening her eyes, she glared at her former stepbrother. "What are you doing in my hotel room?"  
  
Chuckling, Angelus sat on the bed next to her. "Ah, lass," he said, "This is my villa in Tuscany."  
  
"And Tristan St. Paul? Just a figment of your imagination?" Buffy spat out, getting out of bed. "I'm leaving, you asshole."  
  
"Ah…I'm sure Rona would not be pleased to receive a call from Mr. St. Paul, telling her of how you decided to skip out of a photo shoot," Angelus called out.  
  
Stopping dead in her tracks, Buffy slowly turned towards Angelus. "You wouldn't," she softly said.  
  
"Yes, I think I would. Your mother and my father need some…time with you out of the picture to reassure one another about their relationship. My father was quite hurt when Joyce almost backed out of their upcoming marriage," Angelus said. "And, Mr. St. Paul is, in fact, an actual person. He, shall we say, owes me a great deal and would, very willingly, manufacture a story for me."  
  
"You asshole," Buffy seethed. Smiling, Angelus got up off her bed and headed out of the room.  
  
"Feel free to use the villa's commodities. I'm going riding," Angelus informed her, softly shutting the door behind him.  
  
Full of impotent rage, Buffy hurled the first object she could grab at the closed door. The pillow made no sound, so Buffy screamed her rage out.

* * *

Enjoying a delicious meal out on the patio, Buffy was so absorbed with it she did not notice Angelus' approach. "I didn't think that you would indulge in Maria's cooking," he announced.  
  
"Well, since I don't have an actual shoot," Buffy started, "I figured I could indulge a bit."  
  
Frowing, Angelus pulled something out of his pocket. "For you. They just arrived."  
  
Opening up the black velvet covered box, Buffy bit back a gasp of surprise. An expensive emerald and platinum necklace lay within. Softly touching the gems, Buffy stared at the necklace, a soft smile playing on her features. "I haven't seen this in…forever," she whispered, before remembering who gave them to her. "What is this for?"  
  
"A present, so to speak," Angelus carelessly answered, sitting down next to her and stealing her croissant.  
  
Buffy stared at the jewelry a little longer, lost in memories. The last time she had seen the necklace it had been on her, her first big-time photo shoot. The picture had made the cover of Vogue and it had appeared that she was only wearing the necklace. Angelus had not been in support of Buffy's career choice, flat out telling her that she would never make it in the modeling world, so in a fit of immaturity; Buffy had mailed a copy of the magazine to Angelus. She never received a reply to that piece of mail and had thought that Angelus had thrown it away, a thought further fueled by his lack of response to the cover in general.  
  
The necklace, however, contradicted her original assumption.  
  
"Let me," Angelus said, freeing the necklace from the box and securely fastening it around Buffy's neck.  
  
"No," Buffy protested, too late. "I don't want it."  
  
Amused, Angelus settled back down in his seat. "Cara, your actions suggest otherwise. Are you finished?"  
  
Not answering him, Buffy pushed back her chair, with every intention of locking herself in her room. Angelus grabbed her arm before she could follow through. "Good," he said, leading her in the opposite direction of the villa, "Follow."  
  
Having no choice, Buffy half-ran to keep up with Angelus' pace. "Slow down," she commanded, slightly out of breath. "Where are you taking me?"  
  
"Hush," Angelus said, not slowing down a bit. The further from the villa they walked, the more and more Buffy got lost. Eventually, Buffy had lagged so far behind she couldn't see Angelus anymore.  
  
"Great," Buffy muttered. "This must have been his plan. Get me as lost as possible and leave me out here."  
  
She looked around. Angelus had led her into a hedge maze. "Damn you, Angelus," she shouted. "Where am I?"  
  
Huffing indignantly, Buffy sat down on the grass, staring at the flora around her. It was wildly beautiful, definitely kept up, but only enough so that the entire atmosphere was primal. She smiled at the little rabbit that hopped by, almost laughing at the expression on the creature's face.  
  
"I told you to follow," Angelus said, appearing out of nowhere. "The maze is very difficult. Only I know how to get out of it."  
  
"Gee, that's comforting," Buffy dryly replied. "And I told you to slow down."  
  
Smiling at her, Angelus said nothing and, cautiously wrapped an arm around her. When Buffy didn't protest, he relaxed, pulling her closer to his body. Buffy stiffened, not sure what she was doing or what she could do, choosing instead to relax and enjoy the beauty. "Come on," Angelus said, after a short period, "I have something to show you."  
  
Standing up, Angelus extended a hand for Buffy. Once she was standing, she fully expected him to let go. He didn't.  
  
They walked in a companionable silence for another ten minutes before coming to a halt, obviously in the center of the maze. Buffy held back a gasp. If she had thought the maze itself was beautiful, the center of it was Heaven. "Angel," she said, not catching her use of 'Angel,' rather than 'Angelus,' "This is beautiful!"  
  
Angelus was silent, staring at Buffy quietly. "Yes, it is beautiful," he said, still looking at Buffy. Buffy, noticing something was wrong, looked at him, blushing slightly at the intensity of his stare. "Buffy," he whispered.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, just a softly. Gently, his movements almost frightened, Angelus bent down and kissed her. She moaned against his mouth, reveling in the feeling of coming home. She ignored the little voice in the back of her head, warning her to be careful, that this was the mercurial Angelus, and lost herself in his embrace again.  
  
Her knees gave out and she slowly sank to the ground, Angelus following her lead. Gently, he unbuttoned her shirt, inhaling sharply when her flesh was bared. "If I touch you," he ragged whispered, "do you disappear?"  
  
"Do you?" she asked back, kissing his fingertips.   
  
In response, Angelus gathered her in his arms, kissing her savagely. Suddenly his cell phone rang, startling both of them. "Damnit," he swore against her lips, ignoring the call. The phone range again. "Hello," he bit out, answering the phone, his free hand caressing Buffy's cheek.  
  
"Darla," he greeted and Buffy stiffened in response. "No. No. Darla, good-bye."  
  
Angelus hung up the phone and saw that Buffy had sat up and was in the process of re-buttoning her shirt. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Tell me how to get out of here," Buffy demanded. "I must have been insane. What the hell was I thinking? Why would I…with you?"  
  
Jaw tightening, Angelus stood up and walked into the maze. Buffy ran to catch up, not wanting to get lost again. Neither said anything and, once they returned to the villa, Angelus disappeared.  
  
Buffy slammed her door shut and leaned against it. "What the hell happened?" she asked herself.  
  
Why was Angelus able to bring out feelings in her she thought that she didn't have? Being with him drove her crazy. One minute she hated him, couldn't stand to be around him, and the next? She was all over him and the thought of him being anywhere else killed her.  
  
Buffy remembered Darla. Angelus' best friend with benefits growing up and, apparently, the two had stayed friends through out the years. Darla was everything that Buffy was not. She was sophisticated, rich, experienced, and coldly beautiful. Darla had one of the most successful modeling careers in the world. She was intelligent to top it all off, graduating from Harvard with a degree in Law.  
  
Buffy had not gone to college, too excited to start her career, something that Angelus did not approve of in the least. Many fights had been about Buffy's schooling decision.  
  
Biting back a sob that came from nowhere, Buffy decided that she was going to leave. Screw Rona, screw Angelus! She was not going to be a hostage, especially not Angelus' hostage.

* * *

Buffy waited until dark. Then she waited some more, remembering how much of a night-person Angelus was. She was barely containing yawns by the time she decided it was safe, enough, to leave. After a search of her luggage, Buffy had realized that Angelus had taken her passport, but that did not matter. She had other sources of identification, sources that she kept hidden on the off chance that she lost her passport. She would simply go to the embassy and get another one.  
  
She ignored the slight feeling of sadness. As a child she had always wanted to have a fully stamped passport and had almost succeed in doing so with the one Angelus had taken. Buffy tossed aside that feeling. She would simply start over.  
  
Creeping down the stairs, Buffy wondered where Angelus would keep his car keys. She closed her eyes, trying to remember where he would throw them as a teenager. Buffy smiled as she remembered a fight between Giles and Angelus. Giles had complained about the assortment of keys littering the study.  
  
"Now, I just have to find the study," Buffy whispered, turning right, praying that she was headed in the right direction. Three doors later and she was successful. Grabbing the first set of keys, Buffy turned to leave. "Shit," she whispered, remembering the necklace that she still wore. Struggling with the safety catch, Buffy was, almost, tempting just to rip the offending jewelry off of her body. Instead she shrugged and left it be. Once she was home, she would figure out how to get it off and would send it back to Angelus.  
  
Deciding not to risk walking around the villa with her suitcases again, Buffy opened up the window and climbed out of it. Clicking the unlock button on the keyless entry, Buffy waited for the car's headlights to flash. She was not disappointed. "Damnit," she swore, once in the car.  
  
It was a stick shift. Angelus had, somewhat, taught Buffy how to drive one, but she was, in no way, proficient at it. Shrugging, Buffy starting the car and slowly drove down the driveway.  
  
Laughing with glee, Buffy noted that she was about fifteen minutes away from Angelus'. Fifteen minutes closer to being home. The sirens were not expected.  
  
"Miss, step out of the car," the Italian police officer demanded, first in Italian, then in broken English at her confused look.  
  
Miserable, Buffy sat on the cell's bed, only to think about the unsavory characters she had seen on her way in. She quickly stood up. Damn Angelus and damn the Italian legal system!  
  
"Miss Summers?" Buffy looked up and saw a police officer unlocking her cell. She had been there for a good three hours and was infinitely tired. "Somebody's here to pick you up," he said, his English much better than the first officer she encountered.  
  
With an ominous feeling, Buffy left the cell, briefly wondering if another couple days in jail were better than another couple days with Angelus. No, she thought, at least at Angelus' I can trust that the sheets have been washed sometime this _decade_.  
  
Nodding his good-bye to the officers, Angelus led Buffy out of the jail. "What were you thinking, you little twit?!" Angelus harshly whispered in her ear. "Not only did you set off my home security alarm, but you ruined my transmission!"  
  
"Boo-hoo," Buffy threw out, "Maybe you should have held me prisoner!"  
  
Smirking slightly, Angelus leaned over and whispered in Buffy's ear, "I wasn't holding you prisoner…but if you really want, we could turn around and I could have you booked with grand theft auto."  
  
Ripping herself free of Angelus' grasp, Buffy stomped over to the passenger side of Angelus' car. "Go to Hell," she spat out.  
  
Grinning at sardonically at her, Angelus unlocked the doors. The ride back to the villa was quiet. Buffy got out of the car and went to storm off to her room, when Angelus stopped her, scooping her up in his arms. "Put me down," she demanded, her green eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
Angelus ignored her and sedately walked in the opposite direction of her room. He opened the door and deposited her on a bed. "You will be sleeping with me. I have no desire to have to deal with you trying to run away. Again."  
  
"What?!" Buffy exploded. "I don't think so."  
  
"_I_ do," Angelus said, dangerously getting closer. "Now listen to me, lass. I have had just about enough of your spoiled attitude. You will do as I say. I'm tired. Shut up."  
  
"I am not sleeping in the same bed as you," Buffy petulantly said, crossing her arms in front of her body.  
  
"Fine, sleep on the floor," Angelus sleepily agreed.  
  
Huffing with indignation, Buffy grabbed for a pillow and blanket, only to be stopped by Angelus. "This bedding is worth more than your life. If you want to sleep on the floor, so be it. I will not have you ruin another piece of my property."  
  
Stubbornly, Buffy laid down on the floor, pillowing her head on her arms and fell into an uneasy sleep, waking up periodically from the cold.

* * *

Buffy snuggled deeper into the warmth next to her. Wait, warmth? She asked herself, opening her eyes. Somehow, and she seriously hoped that it wasn't by her own will; she had ended up in bed next to Angelus. Next to, was, actually, too loose of a term. She was spooned against Angelus, her back cradled into his front. Struggling to get free from his sleep-heavy limbs, Buffy realized that she couldn't.  
  
"My love, stop moving," Angelus' sleep-laden voice rumbled. Buffy froze. My love? He must still be asleep.  
  
"Angelus," Buffy hissed, still trying to free herself. He muttered in his sleep and tightened his grip on her. Managing to roll over in his arms, Buffy turned to face him, poking Angelus, hard, in the ribs. "Wake up, you big poophead."  
  
Buffy realized that waking Angelus up wasn't the best of ideas. He slowly opened one brown eye, and then the other. "You," he whispered, his voice rough from sleep. Once again, Buffy found herself caught in Angelus' embrace.  
  
She struggled, still trying to free herself. Slowly Buffy realized that the more she struggled, the less she wanted to. She stopped struggling completely and allowed herself to be seduced. 


	3. Chapter Three

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Three:  
  
Lying in Angelus' embrace, Buffy was perfectly still. They had made love on and off for who knew how long. She wondered when, exactly, would be the best time to tell him that he had been her first. Then she remembered his reaction to her virginity five years ago and decided that, unless it was absolutely vital, she would not.  
  
"Morning," Angelus whispered, kissing her temple gently. "You must be hungry."  
  
Nodding, Buffy realized that she was, in fact, starving. Angelus got up and put on a robe. Buffy watched him walk out of the room and was shocked by the instant feeling of isolation she experienced.  
  
Buffy knew Angelus, probably better than any of his other girlfriends, including Darla. She knew what size socks he wore, mainly because, for the last year of their parents' marriage that was the only gift she gave him. She knew that he was a brilliant artist, but would never show anyone else his work. Angelus hated the dentist and would make up any excuse not to go for his biyearly check-up, despite the fact that he had never had a cavity nor had worn braces. She knew all the little insignificant things about him, as well as the bigger aspects of him.  
  
He was quick to anger and was vastly protective of what he considered his. Angelus was a ruthlessly businessman and had, in his own right, become a very wealthy man. Add the Kalderash fortune to that and he was one of the world's richest men. He graduated from Oxford at the age of nineteen and had gone on to study at various universities around the world. Angelus was fluent in about six languages and could read another three.   
  
But she did not know that he could cook, a fact that Angelus surprised her with when he walked back into the bedroom thirty minutes later. "Maria's up?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No, it's late," Angelus said, sitting down next to her. "I made this myself."  
  
Buffy smiled her appreciation at the simple, but delicious, meal of salad, mashed potatoes, and chicken. "What time is it?"  
  
"A little after midnight. You were arrested last night," he clarified, giving her both the day and time.  
  
"What time is my flight home?" Buffy asked, innocently. She did not expect the reaction she received.  
  
"Can't wait to get rid of me, huh?" Angelus caustically sniped. "Just like every other man you slept with."  
  
Her pride hurt, especially since he was the first man she had ever slept with, and being confused as to what had set him off, Buffy settled into old habits. "That's right," Buffy coldly said.  
  
"I just regret the fact that I forgot about protection," Angelus said, "I wouldn't want to have…well, let's just say that I've heard all the stories about Parker Abrams."  
  
Buffy blinked, shocked at what he just said. She ignored his thinly veiled insult. Protection. How could she have been so naïve? Angelus must have assumed that she was on the Pill or some other contraceptive, which she was not. Oh God, please, Buffy thought. "Go to Hell," she whispered as she gathered her clothes and left the room.  
  
She barely registered the sound of breaking glass as she hurried into her room.

* * *

"How was the shoot?" Rona asked, smiling sweetly at Buffy. Buffy fought the urge to roll her eyes. She had just got back into the States the night before. Angelus had, about an hour after their fight, apathetically came into her room, gave her her passport and return ticket, and called a cab. Buffy had been looking forward to relaxing all day, when Rona called and insisted that they talk about her contract right then.  
  
"It went fine," Buffy tersely answered.  
  
"Good," Rona smiled. "Apparently you being out of the country was a good thing. We have about five job offers for the course of the next three months. They're not quite what you're used to, but…I think that we're just going to have to adapt and use this Abrams' situation to our advantage."  
  
Buffy frowned. "What type of work are we talking about? I refuse to do Playboy or Hustler or any of those porno mags."  
  
"No, no, no," Rona agreed, "It wouldn't do for a model of mine to be in one of those magazines. No, it's more of the same; companies that want a little skin showing in their ads. After all, sex does sell."  
  
"Wait a second. The next three months? But my current contract ends next month…" Buffy trailed off, the implications of Rona's statement finally registering. "I can keep my job?!"  
  
"Buffy, honey, if we dropped every model who had a scandal…well, we'd run out of models," Rona explained. "You're a great model; easy to work with, amazing bones, clothes look great on you. Why would we get rid of you?"  
  
Looking pointedly at the tabloid sitting on Rona's desk, Buffy smirked. "That's not the impression _you_ were giving me a week ago."  
  
"Hush, child," Rona chided. "Here's a copy of the contract that we've drawn up. It's the same as last time; we get 15% of your profit for the next three years. I know, I know, you're going to want the copy and you'll get back to me."  
  
Smiling, Buffy took the copy of the contract to have Anya read it over. Her brother's fiancée was very adept with business legalities. Actually, Anya was very adept with anything that dealt with money.  
  
Buffy and Rona shook hands and Buffy left the office, feeling a hundred times lighter. Job security really made a difference, she thought, amused.

* * *

"Buffy!" Buffy's best friend, Willow Rosenberg, greeted, giving her a huge hug. "I'm so glad you made it!"  
  
"Will," Buffy said, "do you really think I'd miss your shower?"  
  
Willow blushed and turned towards her fiancé, Daniel Osborne. Daniel, or Oz as he liked to be called, was the lead guitarist of the famous band, Dingoes Ate My Baby. They had been dating for as long as Buffy could remember and were deeply in love, save that nasty incident with Veruca from the girl-band Shy. During that time, Buffy had been torn between her best friend and her best friend. She was, in fact, the one who introduced Oz to Willow, Willow to Oz, after meeting Oz during a brief relationship with Devon, the lead singer of the Dingoes.  
  
"How was the shoot?" Willow asked, changing the topic from her and onto Buffy. Buffy turned away, not really wanting to lie to her best friend, but, at the same time, not really willing to tell all, not yet at least.  
  
"It went," Buffy skirted. "I'm getting resigned!"  
  
"Buffy, that's great!" Willow gushed, proud of her friend. Oz, in his typical non-verbal fashion, nodded his approval, flashing Buffy a rare smile. Linking her arm through both of her friend's, Buffy led Willow to her present. "Oh, Buffy," Willow murmured, staring at the framed picture of her and Oz's wedding invitation.  
  
"Don't even think that that's all that I got you," Buffy smiled, handing Willow a sealed envelope. "I know that you and Oz were having issues with getting into a hotel for your honeymoon."  
  
"Buffy, you didn't," Oz said, watching his fiancée open the envelope.  
  
Laughing softly, Buffy shook her head. "No, not even I could get you guys into that particular hotel."  
  
Jaw dropping as she read the piece of paper, Willow wordlessly handed it to Oz. "Buffy! How could you?" Willow chided.  
  
"Will, you and Oz are my two best friends. I wanted to do something…_nice_ for the two of you," Buffy said, chuckling a bit at her own pun. She arranged for Oz and Willow to stay in Nice, France for three weeks for their honeymoon. "However, I didn't get your plane tickets, not yet at least. It's been hectic lately."  
  
"Shut up," Willow said, still dazed, "we can handle that much. Buffy, I don't…"  
  
Willow was cut off by Buffy's cell phone ringing. "Excuse me," Buffy politely said, walking away from Oz and Willow. "Hello?" she asked. Her caller ID hadn't recognized the number and Buffy was hoping that it was her new client.  
  
"Where are you?" Buffy's face paled. Angelus.  
  
"None of your damned business," she snapped, face still pale. She did not want to deal with Angelus tonight. Not in the least. "Leave me alone!"  
  
"If you're not home in twenty minutes, lass, heads will roll."  
  
"Oh, is that a threat?" Buffy mocked, "Newsflash, Angelus, I'm twenty-three years old. You're not my stepbrother, right now, hell, you're not _anything_ to me right now. I do _not_ have to listen to you and your insignificant threats!"  
  
Buffy growled as she flipped her phone shut, slightly shaken by the conversation. She was going to kill her mother for giving Angelus her number. Headed back into the hall, Buffy was preoccupied as she preformed her maid of honor duties. Willow, being observant as always, watched her friend with a contemplative stare. "Buffy, you should go home," she gently insisted, "You don't look very well. Mom and I can handle the rest of the gifts by ourselves."  
  
"Thanks, Will," Buffy said, smiling. Willow always looked after Buffy. "As soon as I can get a cab…"  
  
"Oh, shush," said Willow, as she handed Buffy her purse, "Oz can drive you. He's bored out of his mind anyway."  
  
Buffy glanced over at Oz, not quite sure how Willow was able to tell that the quiet man was bored. Apparently his 'bored' expression differed from his 'interested' expression, exactly how they differed, however, Buffy was clueless to. "Are you sure?" she asked, uncertain.  
  
"Positive," Willow grinned, "Look at the poor man…he's practically bored to tears."

* * *

"Thanks, Oz," Buffy said, kissing her friend on the cheek.  
  
"No prob," Oz stoically said, hugging her in return. "Back to the wedding stuff."  
  
Laughing, Buffy jumped out of Oz's van, something that he had owned for as long as Buffy could remember. The first time that she had ridden in the van, however, the Dingoes were barely known. Now, the entire world was crazy about them. "Have fun!" She called, waving to him as he pulled out.  
  
"I thought I told you to be back in twenty minutes."  
  
"Stalking is illegal, Angelus," Buffy countered, not bothering to look at him as she walked into her apartment building. She barely acknowledged his ever-present gentleman-like attitude as he held the door open for her. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Who was that?" Angelus bit out, as the elevator doors slide to a gentle close. Buffy nearly laughed. Angelus seemed…jealous? Over Oz? About her? She shook her head slightly, to clear that ridiculous notion out of her mind.  
  
"If I told you he was my newest lover, would you go away?" she tauntingly asked, watching the numbers above the elevator doors, urging them to hurry. Buffy did not want to spend another second trapped with her…something.  
  
Angelus was silent, following her to her apartment door. Buffy sighed as she dug through her purse, searching for her keys. The moment she unlocked the door, Angelus grabbed her, pressing his lips onto hers, before pushing her away from him. "You are _mine_," he growled, "Remember that!"  
  
"I am _not_ your's, you medieval asshole!" Buffy fumed, before taking a deep breath. She knew the fastest way to get Angel out of her apartment was to pick a fight. "Angelus, surprisingly, I had fun in Tuscany with you. But it was a one-time deal, no strings attached. Just…a little fling," Buffy calmly said, fully knowing how bitchy she was being, but bitchiness was her last defense with Angelus. "Our parents are getting remarried. Do you _know_ the field day the press would have if they found out about it?"  
  
"You little slut," Angelus hissed, storming out of her apartment.  
  
Buffy inhaled, closing her eyes briefly. She had thought about a relationship between herself and Angelus and realized that it would never be able to work out. First of all, Angelus had never shown an ounce of respect towards her, nor had he ever had a relationship, save his 'agreement' with Darla, that had lasted longer than five months. Then there really was the controversy that would occur. Even though they would just be stepsiblings, the general public would not view a romantic relationship favorably.   
  
And, of course, there was the whole 'Angelus didn't love her' thing. Buffy was upset that she had given her virginity to Angelus. She had always hoped, wanted, for her first time to be with somebody that she loved, not with somebody that she was in lust over. But it was too late to change the past and Buffy was just going to have to deal with it.  
  
If luck was with her for once, Buffy's little act for Angelus should erase any thoughts Angelus had of claiming Buffy as one of his possessions. She hoped, at least.  
  
_Two Months Later_  
  
Buffy frowned as she wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand. "Gross," she said, flushing the toilet. She hadn't been feeling all that great for about a week now; she was throwing up, had a general sense of fatigue. "Damnit," she cursed, "I so can't be getting sick now."  
  
She had finished three of the five assignments that Rona had told her about two months ago, and the last two were simultaneous, finishing within three days of on another. Buffy hated having back-to-back photo shoots, but, after they were done, she would have a month long break.  
  
Nodding to herself as she washed out her mouth, Buffy decided to tell her assistant to make her a doctor's appointment that afternoon. Hopefully it was something that could be cured with some antibiotics.  
  
"…Took me to his new place in L.A. God, that man knows how to please a woman!" Buffy couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the two stalls in the ladies' room. "Angelus Giles…the man is a god."  
  
Buffy's face fell at the mention of Angelus' name. She hadn't seen him since that night in her apartment, despite the fact that she had been to Giles' mansion many times with her mother. Buffy lingered in the bathroom, curious to see whom Angelus' newest conquest was.  
  
"Drusilla, you're so lucky!" Buffy made a face. She knew who that voice was. Harmony Kendall was her former classmate and high school nemesis. And, now that she had a name, she knew who had been raving about Angelus. Drusilla Prague was another model and was…eccentric to be nice, psycho to be more accurate. Not wanting to talk to either of them, Buffy hurried out of the restroom.  
  
"Sarah," Buffy called out to her assistant, smiling as the college student rushed over. "Could you make me a doctor's appointment? During my lunch break?"  
  
"Sure thing, Buffy," Sarah said, writing herself a note about it. "Rona called; your due at the Zero Studio at six, your mom called; don't forget to pick up Anya tonight, and Willow called; she's spazzing out and she lost her shoes and Oz is making a terrible mistake and why did she agree to have such a long engagement?"  
  
Buffy and Sarah exchanged a look at Willow's message and promptly started laughing. Willow and Oz's wedding wasn't for another two months and Willow was already suffering from pre-wedding jitters. She would call up Buffy once a day, looking for reassurance. "God, I hate to see her the hour before her wedding," Sarah laughed.  
  
"Oz and I are planning on sedating her," Buffy seriously said. "I'm looking into tranquilizer guns, but they all completely knock people out and Oz does want a conscious bride."  
  
Sarah looked at Buffy, unsure of whether or not Buffy was joking. Buffy managed to keep a serious face for a good ten seconds before laughing again. The two were still laughing when Frank, the photographer for this session, interrupted. "Buffy, we need you in make-up."  
  
"Okay, Frank," Buffy said, giggling. "Sarah, please, don't forget to make my appointment."

* * *

"Well Ms. Summers," Doctor Walsh, Buffy's long-time GP, said, after reading over Buffy's test results. "Congratulations are in order."  
  
"Oh, good, I'm not sick, then?" Buffy asked, smiling happily. It must have been that chicken that she tried to make the night before.  
  
"No, not at all," Doctor Walsh agreed, "You're pregnant."  
  
Buffy froze, stunned into silence. She blinked, once, twice, and shook her head to clear it. "Excuse me?" Buffy croaked out. "What did you say?"  
  
"You're pregnant, Buffy. About two months, as far as I can tell," Doctor Walsh said, smiling at her patient. Her smile faded as Buffy's face fell. This was not a planned pregnancy. "Do you know who the father is?" she asked, quietly remembering the articles she had read two months ago about Buffy.  
  
The only person she ever had sex with, Buffy bitterly thought. Of course she would be pregnant and of course it would be with Angelus' child. Her life just liked to throw those curve balls. "Yes," Buffy said, shock slowly fading.  
  
"Okay, then," Doctor Walsh nodded, handing Buffy a packet of information. "Here you'll find some information about your pregnancy, but I suggest you see your gynecologist soon." She handed Buffy a thick packet of stapled paper. "Have a good day, Ms. Summers, and congratulations again."  
  
Still in a daze, Buffy accepted the stack of papers and allowed herself to be ushered out the door. Climbing into her sensible sedan, Buffy slowly dialed Sarah's number. "Sarah, tell Frank that I can't make it back. Call up Rona and tell her to tell Zero that I won't be in tonight. No, I'm fine; it's nothing bad. I-I just need to take the day off. Thanks. Yeah, I'll call you if I need you. Bye."  
  
Buffy started up her car and drove around aimlessly. Before she realized where she was going, she was already there. Her mother's house. Buffy inhaled, deeply, gathering the strength to tell her mother that her only daughter was pregnant. Stepping out of her car, Buffy let herself into the house she had helped her mother pick out. "Mom?" she called out cautiously. "You home?"  
  
"I'm in the kitchen, sweetie," Joyce answered. Buffy slowly walked the few steps into the kitchen, where her mother was making a sandwich. "Hungry?"  
  
"Mom," Buffy started, then chickening out, "I'd love one, thanks."  
  
Watching her mother efficiently make two sandwiches, Buffy listened as her mother told her all about the plans that Giles and her had made for their wedding. "We're just going to have a real small wedding ceremony; just family, and no reception. There will, however, be a short honeymoon," Joyce explained, blushing slightly. "Here you go, baby."  
  
Buffy had just taken a big bite of her sandwich, when suddenly her nausea came back. Turning an interesting shade of green, Buffy bolted for the bathroom, with Joyce on her heels. "Mom," she croaked, knowing that this was probably not the best of ways to tell her, "Leave me alone!"  
  
"Buffy, you're sick! Do you want me to call a doctor?" Joyce asked, cordless phone already in hand.  
  
Dry heaving a couple times, Buffy sat there, not moving, until she was positive that her nausea was done. "No, no doctor. I'm fine," she said, slowly standing up.  
  
"Buffy Anne, you have got to stop this doctor-phobia," Joyce scolded, "I'm calling Doctor Walsh."  
  
"It's not a doctor-phobia. It's a hospital-phobia," Buffy corrected, annoyed that her mother couldn't remember that. "And don't bother. I've already seen her today. I'm not sick; I'm pregnant," Buffy snapped.  
  
"Oh dear," Joyce said, staring at her daughter with shock. "Do you know who the father is?"  
  
"Why does everybody keep asking me that?" Buffy exploded "Do you all think I'm this monster-slut who goes around sleeping with anything that'll take her?!"  
  
"Oh, Buffy, honey," Joyce tried to placate, "I'm sorry; this is all just a shock."  
  
Pouting, Buffy debated telling her mother that it was Angelus who fathered her child. "Well, er," Buffy stalled, willing to tell. Especially since she just heard a car, most likely Giles on his lunch hour, pull into the drive. "It's Angelus," she rushed out, grabbing her purse and rushing out the door, "Bye!"   
  
"Buffy Anne Summers," Joyce called after her. "Get back in here."  
  
Freezing in her steps and hating how, even at twenty-three, her mother's use of her full name could fill her with a feeling of dread. Buffy winced, and, before turning around, opened the door for Giles. "Hi, Giles," she said, waving sheepishly.  
  
"Hello, Buffy," Giles greeted, kissing her on the top of her head. "What a pleasant surprise."  
  
"My daughter was just telling me how her and your son have actually been able to do something together," Joyce sarcastically said. Buffy bit her lip. Giles was not going to take this well. "Well, go on, tell him, Buffy."  
  
"Er, I'm kinda…pregnant," Buffy said, smiling hopefully at Giles.  
  
"How can one be kinda pregnant?" Giles asked, smiling reassuringly at Buffy.  
  
"Wait," Buffy said, "There's kinda more… It's Angelus'."  
  
Stunned silence reigned as Giles stared, dumbly, at Buffy. "What?" he finally said.  
  
"It was a one time thing and I don't really think that it's necessary to tell him and I'll be fine because I've been saving money lately and yeah, I've got things to do and I'll be seeing you," Buffy rushed out, taking Giles' shock to her advantage and quickly running out of the door.  
  
She knew that that was the coward's way out, especially since Giles and her mother's engagement party was that night, but she needed time to herself, to adjust to the fact that, in seven short months, she would be a mother. 


	4. Chapter Four

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Four:  
  
Buffy looked around the room as she stood in the doorway of the hall, making sure that Angelus wasn't there. He was and he had an interesting accessory. Darla Nest was hanging on his arm; her blood red nails a stark contrast to his black silk shirt. Inhaling deeply, Buffy held her head up straight and plastered the fake smile she worked so hard on perfecting throughout the years on her face.  
  
"Mom, Giles," she greeted as they approached her, "Congrats."  
  
"Buffy…" Joyce started. Buffy frowned; her mother's tone suggested that she wanted to talk more about Buffy's pregnancy.  
  
"Not here, please," Buffy softly requested. "Tomorrow. Celebrate tonight."  
  
Giles and Joyce exchanged a quick glance and Buffy's heart ached. How could she have even had doubts about their relationship? They were so obviously in love, in tune, with each other. Maybe Cordelia had been wrong all those years back.  
  
"All right, Buffy," Giles agreed, slowly, for the both of them. Buffy smiled, an actual smile this time, and hugged each of them. Seeing Anya and Xander, Buffy went off to mingle, her fake smile still on her face as she unconsciously tracked Angelus and Darla's movement around the room.  
  
She was helping herself to some cake when Angelus appeared next to her. "Buffy," he greeted her. Buffy stared at his expression, trying to read how this exchange would go.   
  
"Angelus," she replied, her voice cautious. She was shocked when he laughed. "What?" she asked, annoyed.  
  
"Do you really believe I'll pick a fight tonight?" Angelus asked, ignoring her previous question.  
  
Her forkful of cake paused at her mouth, as Buffy carefully thought about the question. She really didn't think that he would cause a commotion, not at their parent's engagement party. Suddenly the appetizing cake looked dry and tasteless. Excusing herself, Buffy put the plate of uneaten cake down and went to the bathroom.  
  
Splashing some cool water on her face, Buffy inhaled deeply. She had to get it together. This was Angelus, her childhood foe. And father of her child, that annoyingly insistent voice in the back of her head reminded her. Patting herself dry, Buffy decided to go to the hall's indoor garden, not really in the mood to be in anybody's company.  
  
The feminine giggle stopped her from entering the garden. Buffy froze as she watched Angelus and Darla grope each other with equal fervor. How long she stood there was anyone's guess, but as soon as she regained her wits, she backpedaled, bumping into a bench and sitting down, hugging herself.  
  
Why was she acting like such a schoolgirl? Buffy thought. It wasn't as if she wanted anything to do with Angelus, right?  
  
She was still sitting there when Giles walked by. "Buffy?" he asked, his English accent somehow comforting. "Have you seen Angelus?"  
  
If she hadn't been so shocked, Buffy probably could have gave some caviler retort. As it were, however, all she could do was motion in the general direction of the garden. Giles nodded and walked over to them, only to immediately come back to Buffy. He was no stranger to Angelus' relations with women and his heart went out to the girl he thought of as a daughter.  
  
"Buffy," he began, "I apologize."  
  
"What for?" she asked, her smile brittle. "Giles…" she trailed off, wondering if this was the right time to ask what she was going to be asking. She decided that it was. "I don't want Angelus to find out about the baby."  
  
"I understand," Giles said, nodding. "I'll leave the telling up to you."  
  
"Thank you," Buffy softly whispered, before standing up. "If its okay, I think I'm going to go home. Please let mom know?"  
  
Kissing her on the forehead, Giles assured her that he would. Buffy drove home, trying to think of anything but the vision of Angelus and Darla that was burned into her memory. "I think I should get a cat," Buffy said out loud as she walked into her empty apartment.  
  
Yes, she thought, a cat would be nice to have around.  
  
She had just changed into her pajamas when a loud, insistent knock startled her. "Coming," she called out, grabbing her robe. "Who is it?"  
  
"Open the fucking door!" Angelus' angry retort sounded out. Buffy frowned, weighing her chances of him leaving. Based on his knock and his voice, she realized the chances of him leaving, before he said what he wanted to say, were slim.  
  
"What do you want?" she snapped out, opening the door. She leaned against the door, allowing him entrance.  
  
"Are you pregnant?!" Angelus bit out, pacing the room.  
  
How did he find out? She thought, as her face drained of all color. "What makes you think that?" Buffy finally spoke.  
  
"Xander and Anya had too much to drink so, being the stepbrother that I am, I gave them both a ride home. Anya was very talkative," he simply said. "Who is the father?"  
  
"Not you, if that's what you're worried about," Buffy lied.  
  
"Who is the goddamned father?!" Angelus asked again.  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
Buffy watched as Angelus stalked over to her, roughly grabbing her by the arms. Bracing herself for anything, Buffy never thought to guard herself from being kissed. And kissed she was. Angelus devoured her mouth and she bemoaned the fact that he still had an iron grip on her arms. She wanted nothing more than to hold him closer to her. "Am I am the father?" he asked, softly, against her mouth.  
  
Suddenly remembering the scene of him and Darla in the gardens, Buffy struggled to be free. "No," she spat out.  
  
Shaking her, Angelus asked again, "Who is the father!?"  
  
The stress of finding out that she was pregnant, Angelus and Darla, Angelus' presence in her apartment, and being pregnant was all too much for her to handle. Buffy realized, detached, this as black spots appeared in her vision, growing bigger and bigger as Angelus' angry voice faded.

* * *

"Angelus, pregnant women need to be handled cautiously." Buffy woke up to an English accent and, at first, thought it was Giles, but a closer examination of the voice told her that it was not Giles.  
  
"Pregnant," Angelus' voice said, disgusted.  
  
Opening her eyes, Buffy immediately regretted doing so. Angelus and some stranger she had never seen before stood over her bed, staring down at her. "Ms. Summers?" the English stranger asked, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I've felt better," she admitted, waiting for the nausea to come. Surprisingly it did not.  
  
"I am Doctor Wesley Pryce," he introduced himself. "Angelus is a close friend of mine and had called me when you collapsed. Now, what have you eaten today?"  
  
"A bite of cake; nothing more," Angelus answered for her. Buffy was surprised. How did he know that?  
  
Wesley frowned down at Buffy. "Now, Ms. Summers—"  
  
"Call me Buffy, please," Buffy interrupted.  
  
"Alright, Buffy, you must get a proper day's meal. You are eating for two now and not eating is very detrimental for the baby's health," Wesley gently chided her. Buffy felt ashamed. She had only known about her child for a day and was already a terrible mother.  
  
"Don't worry too much about it, Buffy," Wesley said, taking pity on the young woman who was obviously upset. "I'm going to leave you my number, both home and office. Please call on Monday and make an appointment. Angelus, your presence will not be necessary."  
  
With that, Wesley left. Buffy turned and stared at her illuminated alarm clock. It was one in the morning. "Angelus, did you wake that poor man just to come for me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"What did you expect me to do? Step over your prone body and leave?" Angelus retorted.  
  
"Yes," Buffy snapped back. She was pleasantly surprised when Angelus closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, I'm fine now. Thank you for taking care of me. You can leave now."  
  
"No, I can't. You're laying there, a full set of my prints on your arms," Angelus gently said, surprising Buffy, again, with his tone of voice. She glanced at her arms. Sure enough Angelus had left ten finger-shaped bruises on her arm. "Stay," he commanded as he left the room.  
  
Laying back into her pillows, Buffy wondered what he was doing as she heard pots and pans being banged around in the kitchen. She hoped he wasn't destroying her kitchen in a fit of rage. Moments later, Angelus walked back into the room, carefully balancing a tray, setting the tray on her lap. Buffy ruefully smiled. Chicken and stars soup.   
  
"All you have in your kitchen is a container of orange juice and a couple cans of that," Angelus accused.  
  
Ignoring him, Buffy tasted the soup. He had burned it. Buffy marveled at how anyone could burn condensed soup, but she continued eating it, not really wanting to fight over something as trivial as soup.  
  
"Buffy," Angelus softly said, kneeling next to her bed, reaching for her hand. "I'm sorry. I'm possessive and I've got a jealous streak a mile wide. I jump to conclusions and have a terrible temper. I know all of this…but, please, tell me, is the child mine?"  
  
Freezing, Buffy bit her lip. "No," she softly said, remembering Angelus and Darla in the garden once more. "It isn't."  
  
"Are you positive?"  
  
"I have never been more sure about anything in my life," Buffy answered. She watched, uninterested, as Angelus stalked out of her bedroom. She jumped, slightly, as her apartment door slammed shut.  
  
Buffy tried to finish the soup that Angelus had made her. She had done the right thing, she told herself. Angelus was a rich and powerful man. He needed an intelligent and powerful woman to stand by him. Buffy was not the woman he needed, nor was Angelus the man she needed.  
  
She knew she was wrong in denying her child its father. "It's for the best," she softly said, stroking the tiny bulge that she now knew to be her child.  
  
Sighing, she picked up her spoon, bringing the last bite to her mouth. Suddenly she found the entire situation humorous and Buffy couldn't contain her laughter. She laughed, almost hysterically, and barely noticed when her laughter turned into tears.  
  
He burned the soup, she thought, he burned the soup and admitted to being jealous. And I ate the damned soup.

* * *

Buffy finished out the week and told Rona about her pregnancy. She was pleasantly surprised when Rona congratulated her. Buffy was fully prepared for an explosion on Rona's part. A pregnant model was an unemployable model.  
  
Rona, however, reassured Buffy that, Buffy's contract would be placed on hold until Buffy had the baby and was prepared to go back to work. Buffy thanked her boss and left the modeling agency, en route to Wesley's office.  
  
She found it an interesting coincidence that Angelus' friend, Wesley, was an ob/gyn. "Buffy, I'm glad to see you," Wesley greeted, looking her over. "You look much better today."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy said, accepting the compliment. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, great even," Wesley said, smiling the distracted smile that only people in love seemed to have.  
  
"Who is she?" Buffy asked, teasingly.  
  
"Fred," Wesley answered, ruefully. Buffy raised an eyebrow. She hadn't pegged Wesley as being gay; after years of working in the fashion industry, Buffy had thought that she was pretty good at spotting homosexuals. "Winifred Burkle," Wesley hurriedly clarified, correctly reading into Buffy's stare.  
  
"Maybe you should introduce her like that first," Buffy advised.  
  
A half an hour later, Buffy jumped off the examination table. "So, how's Junior?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Junior is fine, Mommy is too," Wesley answered, "And how's Daddy? Last time I saw Angelus he was a wreck."  
  
"Angelus is not the father," Buffy immediately denied.  
  
Wesley stared at her. He had known Angelus since they were nineteen and, after one night out clubbing, Angelus had drunkenly proclaimed his undying love to the tiny woman standing before him. And after the scene he walked into the week before, Wesley had immediately assumed that Angelus had finally got the courage to tell her. Apparently not. He nodded to himself; that would explain Angelus' single-handed attempt to drink all the scotch in California.  
  
"Ah, my apologies, Buffy," Wesley said. "Now, just give this to Louise on your way out and make another appointment. I'll see you then."  
  
"Thanks, Wesley," Buffy said, taking the stack of papers from Wesley.  
  
Finishing up her errands for the day, Buffy contentedly rested her feet on her coffee table as she wondered what she was going to get herself for dinner. Her doorbell stopped all thoughts. Frowning, Buffy hauled herself to her feet and answered the door.  
  
"Delivery for Ms. Summers." Buffy stared, confused at the delivery boy and the parcels of food he had carefully balanced in his arms.  
  
"I didn't…"  
  
"Oh, I know," he said. "It's a present or a surprise or something. Everything's all paid for."  
  
"Thank you," Buffy said, digging through her pockets for a tip.  
  
"Tip, too," the delivery happily said, his tone suggesting that the tip had been a fairly large one. Buffy accepted the parcels of food and shut the door. Greedily, she opened the containers, almost squealing with joy. Chinese food, all of her favorites.  
  
"Yummy," she said, rummaging for the chopsticks that she hoped would be there. She was not disappointed. Eating her gift straight from the cartons, Buffy was only able to eat about half of it, sighing her contentment as she put the chopsticks down. "Looks like Chinese for breakfast, Junior," she mused out loud.  
  
Packing the remaining food along side her admittedly empty refrigerator, Buffy made a mental note to go grocery shopping the next day. Changing into her pajamas, Buffy slipped into bed, falling asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, a first since she found out that she was pregnant. 


	5. Chapter Five

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Five:  
_Four Months Later…_  
  
Buffy winced as she slowly stood up. At six months pregnant, Buffy had long since lost her normal grace and svelte figure, but was completely happy about her child. She hadn't seen Angelus since that night at her apartment, something that she was glad for. At least that's what she kept telling herself.  
  
Angelus, as it were, had been keeping busy. It seemed, to Buffy, that every week he had a new girlfriend. All of his girlfriends were beautiful, intelligent, and came from equally wealthy and powerful backgrounds as Angelus himself. There was Darla, Drusilla, Harmony, Cordelia (something Buffy was a bit bitter over; Cordelia had been her high school friend), Kate, Gwen, and some foreign girl with some strange foreign name that Buffy could never pronounce. Buffy smiled ruefully; it would appear that Angelus was on the market for a wife.  
  
Quickly finishing the rest of her food, Buffy absently reminded herself to thank Giles for sending her food all these months. It was a gift that she definitely put to use the past months.   
  
Struggling with her zipper, Buffy frowned at the dress she was wearing. She had long since came to the conclusion that the same people who made circus tents designed all maternity clothes. "Ow," Buffy complained, rubbing her lower abdomen. Her stomach had been hurting on and off all night. Buffy shrugged; it was probably just Junior kicking. She still made a mental note to call up Wesley. "After Willow's wedding."  
  
She smiled. Her friend's wedding was in a few hours. Luckily, because she was six months pregnant, Willow, for the most part, had left her alone. Just as she thought that, Buffy's phone rang. "Hello?"  
  
"Buffy, where are you? Are you having car problems? Oh, Buffy, what if he says 'no'?" Buffy smiled at Willow's frantic voice. "Or what if they mix up the flowers? Or worse, what if I forget what to do and fall on my face?"  
  
"I'm at home, I'm leaving in two minutes. Will, he'll say 'yes.' Your flowers will be the right ones. And you won't forget what to do," Buffy interrupted her friend, "Now, take a deep breath, put on your underwear, take off your ugly bathrobe, and relax. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."  
  
Buffy didn't even wait for Willow's reply, choosing to hang up the phone instead. She knew that Willow wouldn't listen to any of her advice, but Buffy still hoped. Double-checking her purse contents, Buffy walked out of her apartment.

* * *

Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, Buffy listened to the best man's toast. The wedding had, as Buffy predicted, been perfect and now Willow and Oz were married. Wincing again, Buffy pressed a hand to her stomach, the initial tinge of pain she had felt that morning advancing to something almost unbearable. Half-heartedly toasting, Buffy stood; ready to give her toast. She was a terrible public speaker and had found a wedding toast online that she liked.  
  
"Good health to you, and wealth to you, and the best that life can give to you. May fortune still be kind to you, and happiness be true to you, and life be long and good to you, is the toast of all your friends to you," Buffy recited, lifting her glass of water up in the air. Taking a sip of it, Buffy sat back down, watching her friends kiss sweetly. Excusing herself, Buffy slowly walked towards the bathroom.  
  
Suddenly, the pain in her abdomen overwhelmed her and Buffy blindly sat down. "Ow," she muttered, face screwed up in pain.  
  
"Miss? Are you alright?" some kindly stranger asked. Buffy went to nod her head, when a streak of extreme pain flashed through her body. Unable to handle it any longer, Buffy's body shut itself down.

* * *

"If she dies, I'll never forgive you!"  
  
Disorientated, Buffy slowly opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. She was obviously in a hospital room. Buffy hated hospitals ever since her cousin, Celia, had died in one when they were both seven. But the fact that she was in a hospital wasn't the worse part. Her mother, Giles, and Angelus were all standing around her bed.  
  
"Buffy?" Joyce asked, tearful. "Honey?"  
  
"Hi Mom," Buffy croaked out, desperately trying to remember the events that had led her to the hospital room. She remembered passing out at Willow's wedding and had vague recollections of riding in an ambulance. Suddenly remembering the all-encompassing pain she had felt prior to her passing out, Buffy placed a frantic hand on her stomach, almost crying with relief when she encountered the bulge that was her child. "What happened?"  
  
"You had a severe case of appendicitis," Giles answered, slowly, "They had to operate immediately."  
  
"And my baby…?" Buffy asked, wanting to be reassured that her child was fine.  
  
Biting her lip, Joyce winced before answering; causing the slight relief Buffy had felt to disappear. "It…Buffy, you know that surgery in this stage of your pregnancy is dangerous…but…" Joyce trailed off.  
  
"Your child is fine," Angelus finished. "It was touch and go for a while."  
  
"Why are you here?" Buffy asked, curious.  
  
"Willow and Oz were married today," Angelus simply stated. Buffy's heart sank. She knew that Angelus had assumed that Oz was her unborn child's father and, given the fact that she had not been romantically attached to anyone else since Italy the likelihood of him guessing the true paternity of her child was great.  
  
"It's not your's," Buffy quickly denied, ignoring the stunned look her mother threw her.  
  
"Buffy Anne!" Joyce snapped, "How dare you!"  
  
"Mom, please," Buffy pleaded, eyes darting from person to person. This was not how she wanted Angelus to find out. Hell, she never wanted Angelus to find out.  
  
"Joyce, Dad," Angelus interrupted, "Would you mind?"  
  
"Not at all, Angel," Joyce answered for both of them, shooting Buffy a glare. Buffy fought the urge to roll her eyes. She watched as her mother and Giles walked out of her private room, gently shutting the door behind them.  
  
"You could have died," Angelus hoarsely whispered, his back turned away from Buffy. "If you were at your apartment today, you would have been alone," he thought out loud, whirling around to face her. "And you would have taken my child with you."  
  
"Yes," Buffy quietly answered, knowing that denying the paternity of her child was pointless now. She watched, apprehensive, as Angelus walked the six feet to her bedside. Tensing, she was shocked when he knelt next to her bed.  
  
"Marry me." 


	6. Chapter Six

* * *

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Six:  
  
"Marry me," Angelus stated. "I can give our child my name. It doesn't have to be a real marriage. A year or so after our child's born we can get it annulled."  
  
Stunned, Buffy could only gape at her child's father. How typical of Angelus to suggest a marriage of convenience. She ignored the stab of pain to her heart. "No," Buffy spat out, finding her voice.  
  
"No?" Angelus repeated, amused. "You would dare to say no?"  
  
"Yes, I dare to say no, you arrogant prick!" Buffy yelled, wincing from the pain that action caused. Angelus was immediately contrite.  
  
"I'm sorry, don't yell," Angelus apologized and commanded, all in one breath. "I can't bear to…" he trailed off, rather than finishing his sentence, he leaned over and kissed Buffy, gently at first, then, as the kiss progressed, more and more passionately.  
  
"Ahem." Buffy and Angelus jumped apart, Angelus smug, while Buffy was slightly embarrassed that her mother and Giles had witnessed their kiss. "I take it congratulations are in order?" Giles dryly commented.  
  
"Not quite," Angelus smoothly replied. Buffy closed her eyes in mortification. Her mother glared at her. "Buffy, I've got to go, but I'll be back tonight."  
  
"Oh, goody," Buffy joylessly said. She watched as Angelus left and her stomach sank when her mother cleared her throat. Giles stuttered some excuse and left mother and daughter alone. "What Mom?"  
  
Joyce stood there, just staring at her daughter. When had she become so grown up? Joyce mused. This was her baby girl who was carrying the next generation. Joyce smiled slightly, before remembering what she wanted to say. "Buffy," Joyce calmly started, "do you realize how incredibly lucky you are?"  
  
"Uh, not be insolent or anything, but what the hell are you talking about?" Buffy asked. "I'm six months pregnant and the father of my child can't stand me. My job's on hold and I don't have a college education."  
  
"Buffy, Angelus loves you," Joyce stated.  
  
Buffy's heart leapt at the thought of Angelus loving her, before her mind reminded her that Angelus only loved one person. Himself. "No, he doesn't," Buffy quietly said.  
  
"He was up all night, praying for you. Did you know that? When Giles' called him, Angelus was at the hospital ten minutes later," Joyce said, watching her daughter's expression. "And now he wants to marry you."  
  
"He wants to stake claim on my child," Buffy matter-of-factly retorted. "As for praying all night…well, he was probably concerned about the baby."  
  
"And the mother," Joyce answered. "You would be stupid to not accept his proposal."  
  
Silence reined as Buffy contemplated what Joyce had just told her. Maybe Angelus was concerned about her. But he had admitted to being possessive. In all likelihood, he was more concerned about his child than the woman who was carrying it. "Mom, I'm tired," Buffy quietly hinted.  
  
Sighing, Joyce kissed her daughter's forehead. "Buffy…just think about it. Even if it doesn't work out, at least your child can have his father's name."  
  
Watching her mother leave the room, Buffy stared, blankly at the closed door. "What are we going to do?" she wondered out loud.   
  
Her finances, while she had originally thought would cover the next couple months, were appalling low. Buffy had no idea how she would pay for this unexpected hospital visit. Marrying Angelus would guarantee financial security for the time being.  
  
But was she willing to stoop that low?  
  
Joyce was right; her child deserved to know his, or her, father. And Angelus deserved to be a part of its life. Biting her lip, Buffy weighed the pros and cons of marrying Angelus, even if it was just for the year.  
  
On the one hand, it would most likely create another scandal. She would be, from a legal standpoint, Angelus'. Not to mention the fact that Buffy would actually have to live with Angelus, a living arrangement that had not suited them when she was teenager.  
  
On the other hand, it would give her and her child financial security. It was only right for Angelus to be part of his child's life. And, the smallest, most hidden part of Buffy actually hoped that her mother was right, that Angelus did love her.  
  
Frowning, Buffy made her decision.

* * *

Angelus stood outside Buffy's hospital room, holding the gifts he brought her. When his father had called him, telling him about Buffy's hospitalization, he had been on his way to the reception hall. Willow and Oz's wedding had been on the news; the famous guitarist from the Dingoes getting married was big news. He had every intention of crashing the reception and demanding that Buffy tell him the truth.  
  
Once he heard the words 'hospital' and 'Buffy' in the same sentence, however, all rational thought fled. Angelus barely remembered the drive to the hospital and was almost certain he had ran three red lights.  
  
Knocking, Angelus waited for Buffy's invitation in.  
  
"Angelus," Buffy said, not giving him the chance to start the conversation. "Yes."  
  
"Yes?" he repeated.  
  
"I'll marry you," Buffy agreed. "But I want the wedding to take place after the baby's born."  
  
"No," Angelus smoothly denied. "We will get married once you're out of the hospital."  
  
"I will not have my child knowing that Mommy and Daddy had a shotgun wedding. We'll get married after the baby's born," Buffy repeated.  
  
"I will not have my child born out of wedlock," Angelus countered, setting his gifts on the nearby chair. "We will be married the day you get out of the hospital."  
  
"Damn you, Angelus," Buffy swore, "I'm marrying you; at least let me choose when!"  
  
"And give you the opportunity to back out?" Angelus snapped. "I don't think so, Buff."  
  
"I won't back out," Buffy quietly promised. Angelus grabbed his gifts and threw them on Buffy's lap. She stared, questioningly at them, before looking up to Angelus. "Thank you," she hesitantly acknowledged.  
  
"Open this one first," Angelus commanded, handing her a tiny, black velvet covered box. Knowing what was probably in it, Buffy slowly pushed the lid up. Staring at the ring that lay there, Buffy was speechless. She had seen that ring only once before.  
  
It was Angelus' late mother's engagement ring to Giles. According to Giles it had been a family heirloom, in the Giles' family for six generations. Joyce didn't want to wear the same ring Giles' ex-wife had worn, not out of jealousy over the deceased woman, but out of respect for Giles' first marriage.  
  
And now Angelus had given it to Buffy.  
  
She had been played, and she knew it. Buffy had only one thing to do at this point. Accept defeat. "Alright," Buffy quietly whispered as Angelus slipped the ring on her ring finger, "The day that I'm released."  
  
Soundlessly, Angelus gathered her in his arms and sealed the marriage deal with a deep kiss.

* * *

Staring at the antique engagement ring and plain wedding band, Buffy bit her lip. It was done. She was now Mrs. Angelus Liam Giles, for better or for worse. Until death do them part. Or the year ended, Buffy wryly thought with a sad smile.  
  
Her husband had dropped her off at his townhouse and had promptly left. "Business matters," he had brusquely answered her question as to where he was going.  
  
Buffy had been married for three hours now and had only spent the first five minutes with her new husband. "Some honeymoon," Buffy muttered to herself, changing into her sweats and an over-sized shirt.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
Buffy ignored her new husband, just like he had ignored her for the past two hours and fifty-five minutes. Settling deeper into the couch, Buffy reached for the remote, clicking on the television. And immediately turned it back off. Angelus and her marriage apparently was big news. She should have held out for a wedding following the birth of her child.  
  
"Buffy," Angelus said, standing in the doorway. "I called for you."  
  
Stubbornly silent, Buffy refused to even glance at him. "I am not your pet dog; I don't come when I'm called."  
  
"Dinner," Angelus simply replied.  
  
Buffy had no intention of sharing a meal with the bastard, but Junior was demanding food. And the delicious smells wafting her way from the kitchen only peaked her appetite. Grumbling, Buffy hauled herself up and into the dining room.  
  
"Did you get settled in all right?" Angelus pleasantly queried.  
  
"Yes." Buffy had been answering all of his questions with monosyllabic words. She might have to share a meal, a house, a year of her life, and a child with the man. She did not have to be pleasant.  
  
"Are you going to be a brat all night?" Angelus finally asked, as their meal was almost complete.  
  
"Yes," Buffy answered, vaguely entertaining the idea of sticking her tongue out at him, but vetoing that idea, on the basis that, in order for him to see her tongue, she would have to actually look at him.  
  
The newlyweds finished their first meal together in silence, Angelus giving up on having dinner conversation. Buffy finished her meal first, pushing her chair back, fully intending on going to bed. She was happy that she insisted on her own bedroom and was even happier when Angelus agreed.  
  
"Good night," Angelus called out to her.

* * *

Buffy stared at the calendar. She had been married for a week. After that first night, she had realized that, yes, she was being an immature brat, and had gracefully apologized to Angelus. He had accepted with the cool dignity that defined him.  
  
But now it was a week and they hadn't shared a dinner since that horrible first night. Buffy wondered if he was out, with Darla or Drusilla or any of the other girls she had read about.  
  
"Where have you been?" she demanded, the second she heard Angelus walk through the door. "You married _me_, Angelus. Even though I'm sure that with Darla you get to have philosophical debates and with Drusilla you're better entertained, you made _me_ marry you."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Angelus asked, incredulous.  
  
"We've been married for a week and I'm already bored out of my mind!" Buffy exploded.  
  
"Well, sweetheart, I'd hate for me to be the only one," Angelus sarcastically threw back. Suddenly melancholy, Buffy spun around and stormed back to her room. "Oh Buff?" Angelus called after her. "If it wasn't for that delightful display, I never would have known how insecure you really are."  
  
Pausing, Buffy almost burst into tears. Luckily she was able to hold them back until she reached the safety of her own room.  
  
She had made a terrible mistake, Buffy realized. This wasn't how she expected her life with Angelus to be. Well, what did you expect? Her annoying inner voice nastily asked, You were being a brat. Nobody wants to be around that.  
  
Sobbing herself to sleep, Buffy woke up the next day still feeling tired and knowing her eyes were puffy beyond repair.  
  
Angelus had apologized over breakfast and, in the months following, was the picture-perfect husband and father-to-be, choosing ridiculous names for their child and showing Buffy where he thought the nursery should be.  
  
One night, in her seventh month, Buffy realized, as she turned for the tenth time, that she would not be getting any sleep that night. Creeping into the nursery, which was located in the room between Angelus' and her own, Buffy flipped on the light, searching for the packages she had bought the day before and had been too tired to unpack. Scanning the room, she found the Angelus, or one of the maids, had placed them on the top shelf of the closet. Cursing, Buffy pushed a stool into the closet, before climbing on it, reaching for the packages. She cursed again when she realized that, even with the stool, she was still a good three inches too short. Stretching her body further, Buffy was so intent on her mission; she didn't hear the nursery door open.  
  
"What are you doing?" Buffy jumped, catching herself at the last moment.  
  
"Angelus," Buffy warily greeted. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
"So I gathered," Angelus dryly nodded. "But why in the Hell are you on that stool, putting yourself, and our child, in imminent danger?"  
  
"I wanted to unpack the packages I bought yesterday," Buffy simply said, pointing at the brightly colored plastic bags. Angelus growled, before lifting his wife up and off of the stool.  
  
Pulling the newest furniture closer to the closet, Angelus motioned for Buffy to sit in the hand-carved rocking chair. "Now, I'll get the packages and you tell me where to put them."  
  
Yawning, Buffy watched as Angelus put the last little undershirt in its proper drawer. "Thank you," she sleepily said, holding her hands out for him to help her out of the rocking chair. Buffy could not wait until her child was born, not only because she was excited to meet her child, but so that she could return to her pre-pregnancy graceful body. "Good night."  
  
"Buffy," Angelus stopped her. "I need to hold you tonight. Seeing you, on that stool…" he trailed off, swallowing hard, not meeting her gaze, "I just need to be sure that you and the baby are fine."  
  
Touched by his concern, Buffy agreed. Snuggling deeper into her husband's arms, moments later, Buffy, for the first time in three months, immediately fell asleep, feeling perfectly safe and content.  
  
_Two Months Later…_  
  
Buffy woke up, kicking the covers off. She had been feeling off since the evening before. Her skin felt itchy and too hot, she felt nauseated, and the headache she had complained of the night before had grown worse, rather than better like she had hoped. Turning over in the bed, hoping to find the cool spot, Buffy moaned as the feeling in her stomach grew worse.  
  
Moving as fast as she could, Buffy staggered into the bathroom, her fingers dragging on the wall. She tried to ignore the pain that was trying to double her over and dove for the toilet, heaving the little food she had in her.  
  
"Buffy?" Angelus' voice boomed and Buffy winced. Had Angelus always sounded that loud?  
  
"Too loud," Buffy complained quietly. Angelus frowned and flicked the bathroom light on. "Turn it off!" she whispered, harshly. The moment the light flooded the bathroom, her eyes felt like they were on fire.  
  
"What is, honey? Is it the baby?" Angelus asked, grabbing her off the floor. "You're burning up."  
  
"Something's wrong," Buffy whispered. "I…my stomach hurts."  
  
"Are you in labor?" Angelus asked, settling her down on the living room couch. He grabbed the phone, somehow, instinctively knowing that they would need an ambulance.  
  
"No," Buffy whispered. "It's my stomach…not the baby. Angel, my head hurts so bad…and my skin. It feels weird."  
  
"I'm calling 911," he assured her. "I'm calling for help."  
  
"There's more," Buffy admitted, "I can't see very well…its all blurry. Angel!"  
  
Angelus quickly dialed 911, stroking her hair with his free hand. "Hello? I-its my wife…she's pregnant and…there's something very wrong, her head hurts, she's puking, and she's burning up. Yes, 311 Crawford Drive, the mansion. Thank you, please hurry."  
  
"Angel…" Buffy whispered, "Wesley said something about toxemia and how I had to watch my blood pressure. How I had to be careful."  
  
"Toxemia?" Angelus repeated, confused. This was the first time he had heard anything about toxemia.  
  
"My blood pressure wasn't that bad," Buffy softly said, her face contorted in pain. "I-I thought that we were okay."  
  
"Wes," Angelus said into the phone. "It's Buffy. She's bad, real bad. Meet us at the hospital," he barked into the phone, hanging up when Buffy moaned in pain again.  
  
"Angel," Buffy whispered, "Angel…you're a good man. I-I'm sorry for being such a brat. I love you."  
  
"God, baby, Buffy, please," Angelus pleaded, mentally selling his soul for Buffy's safety. "Just hang on."  
  
"Do you love me?"  
  
"I do. I love you, Buffy," Angelus said, kissing her hand desperately, watching helplessly as Buffy's bright green eyes slowly fluttered shut. "Oh God, Buffy…wake up! Please baby, hold on!"  
  
"Hello!?" Angelus whipped his head up; the ambulance had finally arrived.  
  
"We're in here!" he cried out, nudging his wife again. "Baby, they're here, wake up, Buffy."  
  
"Sir, please, step aside," the EMT requested attaching an oxygen mask to Buffy's face. Suddenly, Buffy started to convulse and the other EMT had to physically restrain Angelus from jumping to her side. "Sir, we just have to make sure she doesn't hurt herself. Please, sir, stand aside. Let us do our job."  
  
Angelus watched, helpless, as Buffy finally came out of the seizure and the EMTs injected something into her arm and took her blood pressure. If her blood pressure had been high before, it was now dangerously low. "We gotta get her to the hospital, man," one of the EMTs stated.  
  
"I'm coming," Angelus said, grabbing his coat and following the EMTs as the wheeled his wife onto the ambulance. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: A Model Romance  
Author: Ashley K.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.  
  
Chapter Seven:  
  
Angelus paced the length of the waiting room. On arrival at the hospital, Wesley had rushed Buffy into an examination room, with strict instructions that Angelus was to stay put. Angelus willed the picture of Buffy's still form out of his mind. He was driving himself crazy.  
  
"Angel," Wesley called out, his face grave. "Buffy is suffering from eclampsia, although it was once called pregnancy-induced toxemia. It is a very rare condition, especially in cases such as Buffy's; she's received adequate prenatal care, no pregnancy-related problems, and no family history of high-blood pressure. However, it is more common in young, first-time mothers and it does, like in Buffy's case—"  
  
"Wes, spare me the lecture!" Angelus interrupted. "Will Buffy be alright?"  
  
"Yes," Wesley answered, "But we need to do an emergency C-section. Normally in cases like Buffy's, the mother will recover quite nicely once the child is born."  
  
"A C-section?" Angelus asked, shuddering. His own mother's death had been the result of complications from a C-section. "Is there any other way?"  
  
"Buffy shows absolutely no signs of dilation and, we feel that inducing labor with the mother unconscious is not advisable," Wesley carefully said, remembering how Angelus' mother had passed away. "Angel, it's for the best."  
  
Angelus stared at his long-time friend, his jaw tightening. Never again would he put Buffy through this. "Fine. Do whatever you have to do to save her."  
  
Nodding, Wesley turned to prepare for the emergency C-section. "Wait, Wes?" Angelus called after him. Wesley half-turned. "She'll be better, right? Once the baby's out, I mean."  
  
Suddenly feeling very, very sorry for his friend, Wesley sadly smiled. "Angelus, there's never a guarantee in situations like this."

* * *

Angelus stared down at the tiny red bundle he held in his arms. He had insisted on being present during his child's birth and had held onto Buffy's limp hand the entire time. Smiling down at his newborn daughter, Angelus gently touched her cheek. Being delivered at 38 weeks gave his daughter an extremely good chance of survival. Everything was developed well enough to handle being outside of the womb. Or so Wesley assured him.  
  
"Buffy," Angelus said, leaning down closer to her, still holding their child. "Wake up. Look at our baby. Buff, if you don't wake up, I'm naming her Adele and didn't you hate that name?"  
  
He watched, holding his breath, waiting for his wife to wake up and defy him, as was Buffy's habit. Angelus felt a stab of disappointment. "Well, little one," he said down to their daughter, tears in his eyes, "It would seem that Mommy wants to sleep some more. But I know some people who would love to meet you."  
  
Walking out of the recovery room, Angelus threw Buffy one last lingering look. He silently vowed that he would never, ever put her in this position again. Entering the waiting room, he grimly smiled at Buffy and his friends and family. "Meet Baby Girl Giles," he said, tiredly as they all flocked around him. Wordlessly, Joyce grabbed for his daughter.  
  
"How's Buffy?" Anya asked. "Is she awake yet?"  
  
"No, not yet," Angelus replied, smiling at his daughter.  
  
"What are you going to name her?" Willow asked, motioning to her best friend's newborn.  
  
Thinking about all the names that they had, seriously, discussed, Angelus took another look at their daughter. "Olivia Janna," he said, smiling and reaching for his child again. "We're going to go visit with Buffy some more. Wes said that she could wake up at any moment."

* * *

Angelus sat next to his wife, holding her hand and whispering promises to her. The nurses had long-since taken little Olivia back to the nursery, promising her worried father that, yes, all babies made that loud of a noise when they were burped. "I don't think that they do," Angelus confided to his unconscious wife. "Our daughter's a little piglet."  
  
"Any change?" Joyce asked, peeking her head into Buffy's private room. Her daughter's still form scared her. Even when Joyce had been pregnant with Buffy, Buffy had never been this motionless. It seemed as though Buffy was constantly moving. Angelus shook his head, mournfully. "I brought you some food."  
  
"Thank you, but, I'm not hungry," Angelus said, not taking his eyes off of Buffy. If she wasn't awake to steal his food, as was her habit, he wasn't going to eat.  
  
Staring at her daughter and her daughter's husband, Joyce wondered when the two of them would get their act together. Buffy still kept insisting that Angelus didn't love her; he loved owning things, not the thing itself. However, the look in Angelus' eyes whenever he looked at Buffy suggested otherwise. "Angel, you need to eat. When Buffy wakes up, she needs you there with here, not laying in a bed next to her."  
  
Growling at his mother-in-law, Angelus snatched the bag of fast food out of her hand, devouring a cheeseburger in four huge swallows. "There," he said, mumbling through a mouth-full of food. "Happy now?"  
  
Smiling indulgently at him, Joyce patted his back. "We'll be waiting; come get us when she's up. I'm going to go hold my granddaughter."

* * *

Angelus' vigil lasted another eight hours, hours that went by slower than any years that Angelus remembered. Finally, fourteen hours after Buffy had woken him up, she stirred.  
  
Angelus jumped, praying that it wasn't going to be another false alarm. She had stirred before, a couple hours previously, but still hadn't regained consciousness. He sat there, not moving, until, after what seemed like eight more hours, Buffy moaned.  
  
"Angel?" she whispered, her eyes still half closed.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy?" Angelus answered, his voice hoarse. He watched as Buffy's hand gently hovered over her stomach and her eyes popped open when it encountered the flatness of it.  
  
"I lost the baby," she mournfully whispered. "Didn't I?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes.  
  
Pressing the call button, Angelus held his wife's hand. "No, baby, our daughter's in the nursery. She's fine, perfect and healthy."  
  
"She?" Buffy tearfully whispered. "Did you name her?"  
  
"I was thinking Olivia Janna," Angelus replied, watching his wife's face. They had never discussed naming their child after his mother, or her father, but once he laid eyes on their daughter, he had seen his mother in Olivia's eyes. He prayed that Buffy would like it.  
  
"That's pretty," Buffy said. "I want to see her."  
  
"Mrs. Giles! You're awake. How do you feel?" Buffy's doctor boomed upon entering.  
  
"I want to see my baby," Buffy demanded. "And when do I get out of here?"  
  
Kissing her forehead, Angelus softly told her to be good while he went to tell their family and friends. Leaving Buffy to terrorize her doctor, Angelus leaned against the hall wall; tears of relief streaming down his face. Buffy was going to be okay. And that's all that mattered. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:  
  
Gently patting her daughter's back, Buffy smiled when Olivia obediently burped in response. She couldn't believe that six weeks had passed since Olivia had been born. Little Olivia was an imperfect clone of Buffy. The mother and daughter both shared the same essential facial features, although Angelus' mark was all over their daughter. Rather than Buffy's own nose, Olivia had a tiny replica of Angelus', something that Buffy thanked God for every night; she had always thought her nose to be…weird looking. The biggest difference was Olivia's deep, intense chocolate brown eyes and dark locks.  
  
"Oh Olivia!" Willow cried out, gently stealing the baby from her friend's arms. "What a life you must have! Do you have the gold toothbrush for her first tooth yet?"  
  
Buffy looked around the nursery. Ever since Olivia's birth, Angelus had brought home a new present for his daughter every day. After six weeks of presents, the nursery was getting a bit full. "Ask Angelus," she answered, surprised at how _bitter_ her voice sounded.  
  
Sobering up, Willow sat next to Buffy, still holding Olivia in her arms. "What's wrong, Buffy?" she asked, worried eyes focused on her best friend.  
  
What was wrong was that her husband couldn't even look her in the eye. Ever since she returned from the hospital, Angelus had been cold, distant. It was as if all his emotional warmth was for their daughter and Buffy was left out in the cold. Her deepest fear, suspicion, was that Angelus was going to try to get Buffy to leave him, and her daughter, leaving Angelus free to marry a more acceptable mother for his precious daughter.  
  
If she didn't adore Olivia with every fiber of her being, Buffy would have resented the baby. "Nothing," Buffy answered, smiling weakly. "Just tired, I guess."  
  
"Marriage just out of its honeymoon phase AND late-night feedings?" Willow teased, even though she knew there was more to the story than what Buffy was letting on, "I'd be tired too!"  
  
Standing up, Buffy reached for her now-sleeping baby. "Yeah, it's hard," Buffy quietly agreed. "How's married life treating you?" she asked, knowing that asking that was the best way to change the subject.

* * *

Quietly pushing her food around her plate, Buffy found that her appetite was nonexistent. Sighing, she moved her green bean over to the left of her pot roast, completing the abstract smiley face. "Are you just going to play with your food?" Angelus said, breaking the silence.  
  
"No," Buffy answered, voice petulant. "I want a divorce."  
  
"Excuse me?" Angelus asked, shocked.  
  
"I. Want. A. Divorce," Buffy slowly repeated. "We don't have a real marriage, Angelus. We're just two people who happen to live together."  
  
"No," Angelus said easily.  
  
"No?" Buffy glared at him. "NO!?"  
  
"That's right; no," Angelus said, stabbing a piece of pot roast with his fork. "I will not give you a divorce so that you can take Livvy away from me. No."  
  
Of course, Buffy thought. He didn't want to stay married because he loved her. He wanted to stay married to keep Olivia close to him. If the situation wasn't so serious, Buffy would have cried. Obviously, even thought he was well informed about various laws, Angelus thought that all divorces with children went like his own parents'; the child goes with the mother and the father never saw the child. "Angelus," Buffy started, "I would never…Olivia needs her daddy and I wouldn't take her from you."  
  
"No divorce," Angelus absently said, gently setting his fork down.  
  
"Damnit Angelus!" Buffy snapped, pushing away from the table and storming up to her room. She flung herself onto her bed, fuming with anger and confusion.  
  
The door creaked open. "We're not getting a divorce," Angelus silkily announced, stalking over to her bed. "Our lonely nights are now fast ending. I gave you six weeks; that is an adequate amount of time for you to heal, correct?"  
  
Wordlessly, Buffy nodded, watching as her husband got closer and closer. What was she doing? Why wasn't she screaming her lungs out? She _did not_ want Angelus; they were going to be getting a divorce. She did not want to be treated like an inferior person any longer. Helpless, Buffy returned the kiss Angelus had gently placed on her lips. Returned it and then some.  
  
Their kisses grew more and more passionate, until Buffy finally regained some of her resolve. "Stop," she whispered, her voice husky with lust.  
  
"Never," Angelus countered, silencing her further protests with another kiss. Buffy melted into him—for a moment. Lashing out, she put all of her weight into pushing Angelus off of her. "What?!" he finally snapped.  
  
"Do you really think that…this," Buffy said, motioning between them and the bed, "will make me _not_ want a divorce?! Angelus, I didn't marry you for sex!"  
  
"You didn't marry me for love, either," Angelus pointed out, "Just a name for your, our, child and financial support!"  
  
Her jaw dropping, Buffy could only stare, dumbstruck, at her husband. Finally the full implication of his words struck her. Throwing her hands in the air, Buffy made a sound in the back of her throat that was half-growl, half-sigh. "You are an idiot," she lashed out, before turning sharply and opening the door. "Get the _hell_ out of here!"  
  
"_I'm_ the idiot!" Angelus' temper finally broke, his carefully controlled emotions breaking free. "Damnit, Buffy, I _love_ you! I've _always_ loved you!"  
  
"Then why do you keep shutting me out?! Why are you such a-a…poophead?!" Buffy stammered, Angelus' confession shocking her. She vaguely remembered telling him that she loved him, the night of Olivia's birth, and commanding him to do the same, but had just thought that it was just her imagination.  
  
"Because I damned near killed you! Twice!" Angelus burst out, his voice growing louder, almost matching Buffy's own volume.  
  
"What _are_ you talking about now?!" Buffy screeched.  
  
"If I wouldn't have let my hormones get out of control, you wouldn't have been pregnant, you wouldn't have had such issues with the surgery, you wouldn't have had eclampsia…"  
  
"I wouldn't have had Olivia," Buffy pointed out, her voice quiet. She never realized that Angelus blamed himself for all the complications during her pregnancy. "That wasn't your fault, Angel."  
  
Suddenly weak, Angelus sat, heavily, down on the bed, sighing as he did so. Buffy stared at him, looking at the seemingly strong, apathetic man with new eyes. She finally admitted to herself that she loved Angelus, had loved him ever since they had first met, all those years ago. Biting her lip, Buffy sat down next to him and wondered if she should grab his hand. She was in the process of reaching for his much-larger hand, when he broke the silence.  
  
"Do you know you call me 'Angel' when you're caught off guard or not thinking straight?" Angelus questioned, not looking at Buffy.  
  
"Did you know that you never used to call me 'Buffy,' until we first…you know," Buffy said. "It was either Buff or nothing at all."  
  
"It was my fault," Angelus softly said, changing the subject, "I wanted you to have a normal life, not…a freak show with me, the man the media chases."  
  
"As opposed to the boy who lived?" Buffy quipped, smiling slightly. She wasn't surprised when Angelus gave her a blank stare. Up-to-date with pop culture, her husband was not. "Angel, if you haven't noticed…I'm not exactly the least-famous person on the planet."  
  
"No, it's not the same. The whole thing with Abrams, that was your first _real_ media circus. Your face on magazine covers, advertisements, billboards, that's nothing."  
  
The couple sat in silence again. Buffy grabbed Angelus' hand at the start of the silence and, to her surprise, he held her's in return. "I love you, Angelus," Buffy softly said, breaking the silence. "I want my life to be with you, but I refuse to be shut out of your life. I'm giving you my everything; I want the same in return."  
  
Angelus was silent for a moment. "I don't," he said, "and you already are."  
  
Stunned into silence, Buffy blinked back tears, pulling her hand away from his, not looking at him. "Oh," she softly, hoarsely, replied. "I understand. I-I'm going to my mom's," she swallowed, hard, "I'll be in contact."  
  
"Buffy," Angelus called out, stopping her in her tracks. "What did you think I just said?"  
  
"Damn you," she cursed, whirling around, not hiding her tears, "You don't want to share a life with me! You're already shutting me out! You asshole!"  
  
Incredibly, Angelus laughed. Buffy could only stare, dumbstruck, at her husband as he laughed when her world was crumbling around her. She always thought Angelus was cruel; she never imagined that he was this bad! "Good-bye," she softly said, holding her head high.  
  
She had barely touched the doorknob when a strong hand grasped her arm and forcibly turned to around. "Beloved, I don't want you to want your life to be with me and you already are my world," he softly repeated, this time being succinct and to the point. "I love you, Buffy."  
  
"I-I…don't understand," Buffy wailed, "It's like you're trying to tell me something—something important!"  
  
Snickering softly, Angelus gently lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. "Beloved, I love you. You love me—even though I wish that you could have a normal life, one that includes a house in the suburbs, a normal, average joe-husband, 2.5 kids, and, maybe, a dog, I'm glad you chose me. Because I've loved you ever since your fifteenth birthday.  
  
"Then Tuscany happened…oh God, I wish I would have handled that differently, Buffy. I thought that, if I had you once, I'd be 'cured' of the feelings I've felt for you for forever. Imagine my surprise when, rather than going away, they become a hundred times worse," Angelus said, smiling down at Buffy, "But then I realized how much I took from you; your virginity, your career, your opportunities, and, almost, your life.  
  
"I was becoming Jenny," Angelus softly, almost too quietly for Buffy to hear, said. Buffy's heart wrenched. She knew that Angelus loved his mother dearly, but, at the same time, resented her for what she had done to Giles. Angelus had felt that his mother had robbed his father of Giles' family, his life. "I don't want that—I don't want Olivia to become a headline. Stay. With me."  
  
Staring into her husband's watery eyes, Buffy smiled, slightly. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She pulled away, slightly, before answering.  
  
"Always."  
  
Epilogue:  
  
"Daddy, higher!" Olivia Giles regally commanded as her father struggled to push his daughter to an appropriate height. "Dad-dee!"  
  
"Livvy, sweet," Angelus huffed, "We've been doing this for three hours. Daddy's tired."  
  
Laughing, Olivia turned in the swing. Angelus smiled at his daughter, as he, for the millionth time, marveled at how much she looked like her mother. "Silly, Daddies don't get tired!" Olivia rebuked.  
  
At a loss for words, Angelus just continued to push his firstborn. Buffy watched, from the shadows, as her little princess continued to call out commands to Angelus. Olivia's chestnut hair streamed out behind her and Buffy frowned at the grass stains visible on Olivia's clothing. Angelus had promised that they wouldn't wrestle on the lawn! Not today, at least!  
  
"Moooooooommmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeee!"  
  
Buffy turned, just in time for her youngest to leap into her arms. Baby Connor was in tears and Buffy was immediately on the lookout for their middle children, twin terrors named Dawn and Liam. "Hush, sweetie," Buffy quieted her four-year-old and finally spotted the five-year-old twins. "Dawn! Liam!"  
  
Their quiet 'alone-time,' as Olivia called it, destroyed, she jumped off of the swing, much to Angelus' dismay, since said swing was still swinging. "Mother!" the seven-year-old scolded. "I thought you said that Daddy and I got to be alone today!"  
  
"Olivia," Buffy sighed, in the middle of handling another battle of the youngers, "Not now. Angel, please."  
  
Swooping down, Angelus motioned for Olivia to jump on his back. "Hang on, Livvy," he said, before letting her go, happy that his eldest clung to him like a monkey. He gathered the three youngest in his arms and calmly walked to the house. "Guys, what did I tell you about Mommy?"  
  
"She's a poophead?" Dawn asked, giggling.  
  
"No, stupid, she's an ogre!" Liam matter-of-factly said. Buffy, two steps behind her family, simply raised an eyebrow at the comments.  
  
"Ogre!" Connor agreed.  
  
Knowing that Buffy was listening to every word, Angelus winced. Obviously the younger three forgot exactly what he had said. Luckily Olivia, being older, saved him from an uncomfortable night on the floor. "No," she said, her tone bored, "Daddy said that Mom needs quiet, especially when she starts acting like a poopheaded ogre. Oh, and, we're supposed to be on our best behavior!"  
  
"Ahem," Buffy cleared her throat and Angelus turned to look at his wife. Maybe he would be on the floor tonight. "This poopheaded ogre would like to say the following: Last one in is a rotten egg!"  
  
With that she took off running towards the house, where dinner was waiting on the table. The footsteps behind her told her that the children had liberated themselves from Angelus' arms. She slowed down and let her children catch up, and then pass her.  
  
Angelus swept his wife of seven years up in his arms, jogging behind the children. "I thought you were tired, Daddy," Buffy mocked, slightly.  
  
"I'm never too tired for you, beloved," he replied, stopping and thoroughly kissing her. "I love you."  
  
"I love you," Buffy answered, pulling him down for another kiss.  
  
"Ewwwwwwwww! Mom!"  
  
"Daddy…gross!"  
  
"I think our spores have issues with us kissing," Angelus whispered against Buffy's lips.  
  
"Too bad," Buffy replied, kissing him once more, before leaping out of his arms and chasing after their children.  
  
Angelus watched them run into the house with a smile on his face. Seven years had passed and he still loved his wife as much, if not more, as the day they had first said 'I love you.'  
  
"Angel! Dinner is getting cold!" Buffy called out.  
  
"Coming, love!" Angelus answered, jogging into their medium sized house in the suburbs, smiling as the family dog caught up to him. Life was exactly how he had hoped it would be.  
  
"I love you," he whispered into his wife's ear, as he hugged her from behind.  
  
"I love you," she replied. "Always."  
  
END!

* * *

Thank you to everybody who has reviewed! I'm not at all satisfied with the last couple chapters and plan on rewriting them in the near future. So keep an eye out for that!


End file.
